Martinsried/Munich, December 09, 2004
MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; TecDAX) announced today that its partner GPC Biotech AG received regulatory clearance from the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products to commence a Phase 1 clinical trial with an anti-cancer antibody generated using the MorphoSys’ HuCAL® technology. The HuCAL®-derived antibody is expected to enter clinical trials in human patients at sites in three European countries, representing a significant milestone for the MorphoSys HuCAL® technology. The commencement of clinical trials will then trigger a milestone payment from GPC Biotech to MorphoSys, due on the first administration of the HuCAL® antibody in human patients. Financial details were not disclosed.
The fully human antibody was identified and optimized by MorphoSys using its proprietary HuCAL® antibody library in the context of a collaboration with GPC Biotech, which began in 1999. The antibody is directed against a target molecule involved in a variety of hematological malignancies, including non-Hodgkin's, Hodgkin's and Burkitt lymphomas, multiple myeloma, and hairy cell leukemia. The therapeutic antibody operates by selectively killing activated, proliferating MHC class II-positive tumor cells. Pre-clinical data from several in vivo cancer models demonstrated the efficacy of the antibody. Additionally, when the antibody was administered in combination with the anticancer drug, Rituxan® in a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma model, the efficacy was shown to be greater than with either drug alone. With some 150,000 people affected by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma worldwide in 2003 it is the most common form of lymphoma.
„Today’s announcement is an important event for MorphoSys, as it marks the forthcoming entry of the first HuCAL®-generated antibody into full clinical development,' commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies, which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization. Founded in 1992, the Company’s proprietary Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL®) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing and research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Wilmington, Delaware/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Novartis AG (Basel/Switzerland), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben/Germany), Oridis Biomed GmbH (Graz/Austria), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany) and Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA).
Statements included in this press release which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the safe harbour provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “expects” and similar expressions. The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the company’s future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect future operations and business prospects include, but are not limited to, clinical and scientific results and developments concerning corporate collaborations and the company’s proprietary rights and other factors described in the prospectus relating to the company’s recent public offering.
For further information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Dave Lemus
Chief Financial Officer
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-439
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5439
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
Director Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5122
Mario Brkulj
PR Specialist
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-5454